Rail-connecting device



Sept. 18, 1928.

P. P. PIPES RAIL CONNECTING DEVICE Filed Dec. 23, 1926 9mm: PL/NY P PIPES Patented Sept. 181928.

UNi ITI'iEiD PATENT PLINY PJPIPES, v0F MANSFIELD, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE 01110 BRASS COMPANY,

' or MANSFIELD, OHIO, A CORPQRATION OF NEW 'JERsEY.

.RAIL-CONNECTING' DEVICE.

---App1ication fi1ed December 23, 1926. Serial No. 156,537.

invention relates to the method and -means of electrically and mechanically connecting the adjacent ends. of rail-suscd in electric tract-ionor in cases where the rails *are used'for signal purposes.

I The object of-my invention to provide a means which will not only mechanically connect theadjacent'ends of railsand sup- :portand maintain them in 'relative position, but to also connect them electrically and with sufficient eflic-iencyto act as. a substitute for Y other: splice plate isshownslightlyremoved 'fronrits final relative position-so as to more clearly show the details of -myinvention as.

later'described. This figure also-shows the bolts for 'drawing'the splice plates into position and maintaining them in position.

.Fig. 2 shows a side View of two adjacent rail ends with aspliceplate bolted into'position. v

In the preferred embodiment of my inven- -tion I employ as a mechanlcal and electrical connecting means,'a splice plate, one of the usual various types found" on the markehand to the contacting faces ofsuch splice plates with the: base and head of the. raill apply a coating 2 and 3 respectively, of a conducting metal which is superior in conducting proper-- ties to that of steel.

The coatings 2 01-3 may consist of copper, tin zinc or other suitablemetals of higher conductivity than that of steel or iron.

:Zinc, I find, makes a very good coating for the reason that it is not only a protection against corrosion of the surface to which it is integrally attached or secured, but through its wellknown electro-chemical action it will also protect a surface which it may contact with againstcorrosion but towhich itis not integrally or inolec-ularly attached. I y

The coatingmay be applied" to the contact ing= surfaces ofl the plate withthe rail or it may be applied to the entire surfaceof the plate.

In order to apply'the conducting metal to the surfaces of theplate which contact with the rail, I make use of the well known'Schoop process otapplying coatings which is made with what is known in the industry as a metal spray gun, bymeans of which the metal is brought to a molten state and sprayed in very fine particles upon the surfaceto be'coated.

Also; the conducting metal may be applied to the contacting surfaces of the plate by the c'lec troplat-mg process and in this casethose surfaces not to be coatedwith the conducting metal have-applied theretoa coating of parainn or heavy grease, etc.,- and which would prevcntany deposition offthe conducting metal upon such surfaces.

If it is desired to cover all surfaces of the plate then they can firstbe cleaned of scale.

rust, oxide, etc, and dipned in themolten metal Wl11Cl1'1Sl20- form the conducting coating. 1

r1 may employ a conducting coating upon the.plate, of tin,-zinc, copper or brass,"but

this coating should form an integral part of the plate :as wouldzbe the case when such coating was applied by dipping in the molten .metal as in the hot .galvanizing process or applying as a sprayby means of a mctal' spray gun orbyapplying electrochemically as by plating.

WVhile-a plate asdescribed above may be used 111 which the conducting metal contacts with the bare surface of the base and'head of the rail grcaterefiiciency may be attained by cleaning and coating those surfaces of the rail whiclncontact with the coating metal on the plate, and'this can be brought about bycleaning such surfaces of the rail and applying thereto a coating metal preferably by means of the metal spray gun. Such a coatmg lS'I'GPlQSBHlJP/d by numerals land 5 on Fig; 1. The cleaning ofthe rail surface can be broughtabout by means of a portable sand blast machine.

Iffthe entire surface of the plate 1 is covered with the conducting metal I find that the e'lliciency is somewhat greater than where ust'the contacting surfaces are coated. And

the same is true if the entire surfaceof'the rail within the length ofthe splice bar is coated with the conducting metal in place of Y ust the contacting surf aces.

Also, the coating on the rail and plate need lUiv 'llu

not be of the same metals, but I prefer to have themof the same metals asthis precludes electrolytic action between the coating metals.

It is my belief that attempts have been made to insert separate conducting meansbetween the plate and rail and to draw the same into close contact by means of bolts, but in my invention I make the coating an integral part of the plate and/or the rail. When a separate conducting member, such as sheet copper,is clamped between the plate and rail we have two contact surfaces formed by pressure, namely; between the plate and copper and between the rail and copper. In my arrangement there is only one contact surface, and that is between the two conducting coatings and this surface is between the metal of higher conductivity than that of the rail or plate'and the contact or union of the L conducting coating with the plate or rail in my arrangement is of very low resistance.

The Schoop process of applying the coating is fully described' in Schoop Patent 1,1 28,058,dated February 9, 1915, and a metal spray gun is shown in detail in Morf Patent 1,100,602, dated June 16, 1914. Both the Schoop process and the metal spray gun are well known in the arts and sciences; The

method of rolling splice plates is well known and also the' coating of articles by means of electro-plating and the application of a coating of molten tin or zinc is well known. In coatingthe plates thesurface to be coated must be well cleaned of scale, oxide, grease, etc, under any process used.

, Having applied the coating to the plate and to the rail the plates are positioned upon the rail and drawn tightly into engagement with the rail by means of the bolt 6 and nut 7. The coating of the plate is probably best done at the factory, but the coating of the rail can be carried out at the point of installation by means of a portable sanding outfit or a portable grinder and a metal spray gun. 7

Between the nuts 6 and the plates I place a spring lock washer 8 which insures a constant pressure of the plates against the rail at all times and, therefore, the prepared conducting surfaces are assured of contact, as the Washersmay be said to automatically -maintain the said contact.

, positesides'of the rail between the head and base, a coating of metal having a higher specific conductivity than that of the rail applied to the surface of the plates and integrally unitedthereto and means to draw the plates into position relative to the rails and the said coatings into contact with the rail surface. V p

2. A rail joint comprising a pair of rails shaving alineol and abutting ends, a splice plate secured to the rails in spanning relation to the rail ends and interposed between and contacting with the head and base of the rails on eachside of the rails, a. coatingof metal having a higher specific electrical conduct-ivity than that of the plate secured to the surface of the plate and another coating applied to the surface of the rails engaged by the plate and forming an integral union with the rail and with the plate and means passing transversely through the rails andplates to V secure the plates and rails in relative relation and the coatings in close engagement.

A connecting member for two adjacent rail ends comprising a late of ferrous metal to engage and connect t e two rails, a coating of metal forming an integral union with the engaging faces and having a lower specific resistance than the plate and means to secure the plate in position to electrically conduct current from rail to rail.

4. A splice plate for rails comprising a plate to engage the rails, a coating of, rust proof metal inte rally united to the surface of the plate and having a higher specific electrical conductivity than that of the plate,

and means to receive holding means to secure the plate in position.

5. A combined rail splice plate and bond comprising a plate having oppositely disposed faces toengage the oppositelydisposed faces of the rail head and base, a metallic coating upon the oppositely disposed faces of the plate composed of metal having a higher specific electrical conductivity than that of the plate and forming an integral union of molecular character with the plate and means to'receive securing means to hold the plate in position. i

6. An article of manufacture for mechanically coupling and supporting and electrically connecting the adjacent ends of rails comprising a plate to be interposed between the head and thebase of the rail, transverse openings through the plate to. receive bolts to draw and hold the platesinposition between the head and base of, the rail and a uniform metal coating of higher electrical conductivity than that of the plate reposing; upon the surface of and forming a molecular union with the said article and adapted to engage the head and baseof the rails, andbridge the joint to carry current from one rail to the other.

7. A splice plate comprising a ferrous plate hav ng surfaces to; engage a rail, transverse openings and a. coating on the rail en gaging faces of an adhering layer of dissimilapping relation thereto an adhering coating of metal of high conductivity as compared to the plate and molecularly united to the plate and applied thereto by spraying the metal on the surface after it has been reduced to fine subdivision by heat.

9. A connecting member for two adj acent rail ends comprising a plate of ferrous metal to engage and connect the two rails, a uniform coating of metal forming an integral molecular union with the entire engaging faces and having a lower specific resistance than the plate and means to secure the plate in position to electrically conduct current from rail to rail, and yielding means between the securing means and the plates biased to move the plates toward the rails.

10. A rail joint comprising a pair of alined rails, asplioe plate secured to the rails in spanning relation to the rail ends and interposed between and contacting with the head and base of the rails,- a layer of metal integrally secured to the contacting surface of the plate and rail and having a higher specific conductivity than that of the plate and means passing transversely through the plate and rails to secure the plate and rails in relative relation and the coatings in close engagement.

In testimony whereof I afiiX my signature.

PLINY P. PIPES. 

